This invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for monitoring occupational exposures of workers and, more specifically, to a worker-specific monitor which can be used to monitor for any type of exposure or combination of exposures and produce cumulative exposure records throughout the lifetime of the worker using the same device. The monitor can also be utilized as a timecard and, with minor modifications, serve as a highly sensitive security badge with both chemical and positional sensing capabilities.
The health effects of exposures to toxic elements in the workplace are increasingly a public concern. As a result of this concern, a number of different technologies have been developed to improve the monitoring of workers. In the case of radiation, a preferred option has been the use of personal monitors. With the miniaturization of electronics, the flexibility and ease of use of radiation monitors has been substantially improved in recent years offering capabilities such as on-the-fly readings of current and even cumulative exposures.
However workplace hazards are generally complex and, in fact, only rarely related to radiation. Despite this fact the market currently offers very little in terms of chemical monitors. Furthermore a major limitation of current monitors is that they are bulky and usually limited to a single or narrow group of hazards.
The patent literature reveals a number of references to various sensors designed to be worn or carried by individuals. U.S. Pat. No. 4,485,442 entitled CUMULATIVE EXPOSURE METERING SYSTEM describes a general timed cumulative exposure monitoring system. U.S. Pat. No. 4,642,463 entitled INTELLIGENT RADIATION MONITOR describes an intelligent radiation monitor with a convenient combined data download/recharge feature. U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,127 entitled PORTABLE INTENSITOMETER AND APPARATUS FOR CENTRALIZED CONTROL OF EXPOSURE USING THE INTENSITOMETER describes a portable intensitometer which allows cumulative radiation exposure monitoring over time. U.S. Pat. No. 5,173,609 entitled DEVICE FOR THE DETECTION OF RADIATION THAT ENDANGERS LIVING BEINGS describes a small credit-card type identification badge with cumulative radiation detection capability and a radio data transmission feature. U.S. Pat. No. 5,179,281 entitled EXTREMITY DOSIMETRY SYSTEM, DOSIMETER AND METHOD describes an extremity thermoluminescent dosimeter and housing system. U.S. Pat. No. 5,468,968 entitled AIR QUALITY MONITORING SYSTEM AND PROCESS describes an air quality monitoring system with a bar code identification system for individual workers. Japanese Pat. No. AU 1-145595 entitled INDIVIDUAL EXPOSURE MANAGING DEVICE describes a timecard combined with a radiation dose collection system. U.S. Pat. No. 5,502,445 entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REMOTE IDENTIFICATION OF CODED ARTICLES AND THE LIKE describes an electronic remote interrogation and identification system using a microwave beam.
None of these prior art patents discloses a monitor or security badge which combines in a highly compact unit an accurate positional capability which works within buildings with a capability to monitor for any type of chemical/physical exposure or combination of exposures. Similarly, none of these prior art patents discloses a genome-specific hazard monitor which can be tailored specifically to monitor the combination of hazards a given individual may be most sensitive to due to a genetic predisposition and/or prior occupational exposures.